Airspace Surveyor in Newham
Rooftop Extensions Across Newham
Newham's residential stock runs heavily to post-war and 1960s estates across Stratford, Plaistow, East Ham, West Ham, Canning Town, and Forest Gate, with extensive mid-rise residential blocks well suited to rooftop schemes. The borough also includes the Royal Docks and Custom House regeneration zones, where newer mixed-use and residential development has grown over the past decade. Victorian terraces across parts of Manor Park and Forest Gate add lower-density stock where upward extensions occasionally come forward. Most of our Newham work is rooftop addition on the post-war and 1960s blocks.
We specialise in chartered surveying on dense urban sites and are RICS regulated with over 30 years of combined residential extension and rooftop experience. Airspace development advice covers feasibility and the planning route before any application is prepared.
Airspace Developments
As well as providing daylight, sunlight and rights of light advice, our role would be to make contact with the occupants of the existing building to establish any concerns regarding the development. We will work closely with the professional team to identify the initial questions and look at how these can be addressed.
It is our experience that maintaining the same point of contact for the duration of the project offers the existing occupants’ reassurance and continuity.
Services Provided
- Make initial contact with existing occupants.
- Attend meetings to discuss any concerns of the existing occupants.
- Recording Schedules of Condition of the flats below the proposed units.
- Act as a liaison between the developer and occupants throughout the project.
- Assist in resolving any issues that may arise such as car parking, site setup etc.
What is involved in an airspace project in Newham?
Airspace work in Newham is dominated by rooftop additions on the borough's post-war and 1960s residential blocks, so the existing occupants liaison role drives most of the brief. We make initial contact with each leaseholder below the proposed units, attend meetings to discuss concerns, prepare Schedules of Condition for the flats directly below the new units, and act as the named point of contact through construction.
Day-to-day issues, scaffolding placement on narrow streets between blocks, deliveries through estate access roads, parking restrictions, and access through communal areas, get handled as they arise. Party wall services are usually involved given the shared structures across the borough's estates and terraces.
Airspace work in Newham typically sits alongside daylight and sunlight, rights of light, and party wall workstreams on the same scheme. The same surveyor stays on the project from instruction to handover.
Over the past four years, CHP have worked very successfully with us in their capacity as party wall surveyors. Through his calm, sensible approach and excellent communication skills James Crowley, in particular, gained the trust and confidence of the entire team and stakeholders. Looking forward to working with CHP again.”
- Clare Goggin, Jackson Coles
Why instruct an airspace surveyor in Newham?
Airspace schemes carry more risk than a standard extension because the building below is occupied and the work happens at height. A dedicated surveyor takes the relationship with the existing residents off the developer's plate, reduces the chance of disputes becoming claims, and gives the project a single point of contact for the residents to raise concerns with.
Outcomes from a well-run scheme include programme certainty, fewer damage claims, and planning sign-off without late objections from neighbours. Planning routes in Newham run through the London Borough of Newham, with policy support for housing delivery on certain sites. Rights of light assessments usually run in parallel where new height affects surrounding properties. A free initial assessment covers the most likely route for a specific site.
Case Studies
FAQ
Do you handle airspace developments in Newham?
What types of airspace projects suit buildings in Newham?
Do airspace developments need planning permission?
What rights do existing leaseholders have during an airspace development?
How are concerns from existing occupants addressed?
Contact Us
Get in touch.
Head Office
2-6 Boundary Row
London, SE1 8HP
Essex Office
2nd Floor, 10 High Street
Wickford, Essex
SS12 9AZ
020 3714 4090
enquiries@chpsurveyors.com